Looking at the overlooked: Renaissance and Early Modern Prints and Drawings from Spain

The role and the development of prints and drawings during the Renaissance and early modern period in Spain has not been well studied and there is the persistent view that Spanish artists did not make drawings and that print production was negligible. It has been difficult to recognise Spanish drawings and to assess the extent of printmaking because few have been published and collections have been difficult to access. Numerically there were fewer prints and drawings made in Spain than those made elsewhere in Europe, but nonetheless they survive in substantial numbers.

The critical issue is that Spanish prints and drawings developed differently from other parts of Europe and should be examined in ways to reveal their true significance, grounded in methodologies appropriate to apprehend the conditions of their creation. The assessment of prints and drawings from Spain has developed in the way it has for a number of reasons. Perhaps the most resistant is the isolation of the Iberian peninsular that has historically been regarded as culturally separate to the rest of Europe. The regions of Spain had distinctive characteristics, traditions and systems of artistic patronage and from the fifteenth century, cities evolved as independent artistic centres. Until the second half of the 16th century Spain was a country that imported and not exported artists.

Distinguishing between drawings made in Spain by foreigners and those by local artists has sometimes proved difficult. This raises the question of identity, what is a Spanish drawing? Does a drawing made in Spain, irrespective of its author, promote it as Spanish? The foreign artists who arrived in Spain to work on specific projects brought with them distinctive artistic traditions. The same questions of identity do not apply to prints because the industry was largely home-grown and different conditions influenced their development.

Beginning around 1550, the bulk of this project discusses drawings because the problems surrounding them are more complex. In 1561 Philip II chose Madrid as his capital and two years later decided to build a monastery at Escorial nearby. The decoration of the monastery was the main incentive for the migration of mainly Italian artists to Madrid from the 1560s whose drawing practice had a profound influence on local artists. Philip II was a keen bibliophile and print collector. The Flemish artist Pedro Perret, called to Madrid in 1583, produced a series of engravings of the Escorial that are amongst the most striking architectural prints from the 16th century.

By the early decades of the 17th century the situation with regard to professional artistic practice changed dramatically. Academies were set up and workshops established to satisfy demands of a growing middle class, the church and in Madrid, the court. Seville was also an important artistic centre. The most important artists there made large numbers of drawings, many of which were for prints. To the north in Córdoba, Antonio del Castillo ran a productive studio and Alonso Cano who worked between Granada and Madrid became a master of architectural drawing.

One of the main characteristics of Spanish drawings from the mid 16th through to the late 17th that differentiates them from those made in other European countries is their function. Drawings in Spain were tied to specific commissions and there is very little evidence until the late 17th century of academic drawing for drawing sake. In the 18th century Manuel Salvador Carmona led reproductive printmaking and Francisco Goya brought to the medium an entirely new vision. This study will demonstrate the extent of drawing practice and printmaking in Renaissance and early modern Spain, the enormous variety of works and their relation to the other arts, and the conditions under which these works were made.

This research will have considerable academic impact, but as research carried out in a museum environment it also has clearly articulated wider audiences and benefits. The research will lead to an exhibition in the UK, which is likely to be toured to venues in Spain and the US.

At least four key audiences can be identified as benefiting from this research:

1. Students of Art History and allied disciplines
Students studying at the Courtauld Institute and other London institutions will directly benefit through the PI's contributions to teaching and PhD supervision and also the Graphic Arts Group (GAG) comprising around 40 graduate students and academics that he organizes and hosts on a regular basis in the British Museum. It is likely the research will encourage a sustained enquiry (through GAG) of the graphic arts in Spain.

2. Wider audiences interested visiting art and similar exhibitions
After completion of the research, the British Museum plans to have a temporary exhibition directly based on the outcomes of the research. Tentative dates have been fixed for the exhibition, which will be confirmed if this application is successful. This exhibition will be actively promoted in the press with anticipated newspaper and other media coverage in line with similar exhibitions. The exhibition will also be supported by a programme of talks, public lectures, film and dance, a study day, and a school's programme. Given the subject matter, interest has already been expressed from Spanish venues to tour the exhibition. There is also strong interest from US venues.

3. Museums, galleries and other collections of prints and drawing, and their staff
These institutions and their staff in the UK and other parts of the world, including Spain, will benefit from the new knowledge and improved understanding of the individual works in their own collections. The research will promote further enquiry, display and other uses of this material held in a range of different institutions.

4. The British Museum
The BM will benefit through improved understanding of parts of its own collections; through visitor numbers and commercial income generated from the planned exhibition; through support for its Cultural Diplomacy activities on behalf of the UK in Spain and elsewhere.

The applicant has a proven track record in writing scholarly books and delivering exhibitions and accompanying catalogues that have received high academic acclaim and reached large numbers of visitors. The applicant's exhibition 'Los maestros del grabado en la Colección del British Museum (siglos xv-xx)' (Tarragona, Palma de Mallorca and Lleida: September 2003 - July 2004) was seen by large numbers and received high critical praise. The applicant's exhibition 'The Print collection of Ferdinand Columbus (1488-1539): collecting in the age of discovery' (Madrid and Seville, June - December 2004) was seen by around 70,000 visitors before it came to London (February-June 2005) where it was seen by around 80,000 visitors and sold around 8,000 copies of the catalogue.

Economic Impact

This research will lead to a direct economic impact for the British Museum and the London economy. The Museum will benefit from potential external sponsorship raised to support the planned exhibition, income from sales of catalogues, other books and merchandise; and potential loan fee income if the exhibition tours. This income will directly support the running of this major publicly funded cultural and research organization.

There will also be a wider economic impact on the London economy. Research demonstrates the spending beyond the Museum that visitors to their exhibitions have for London businesses. This is especially true for the significant proportion exhibition visits that are visits to London from other parts of the UK and Europe that would only have happened because of a part